Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Understanding how diet influences inflammation requires identifying specific dietary components responsible for anti-inflammatory effects. This study examined the impact of six-week supplementation with a single-source prebiotic fibre (inulin), omega-3, or a synbiotic (fermented kefir + prebiotic fibre mix) on a broad range of inflammatory markers. METHODS: Serum inflammatory proteins were profiled using the Olink 96 inflammation panel in a 6-week intervention. Participants received one of the following: synbiotic (n = 20; 170 ml kefir + 10 g prebiotic), omega 3 (n = 33; 500 mg/day), inulin fibre (n = 31; 20 g/day), or no supplementation (n = 20 control). Changes from baseline and between groups were analysed using parametric methods and effect sizes (Cohen's d). FDR-adjusted p < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: All three dietary interventions significantly reduced inflammatory markers versus control. TNF-α decreased with omega-3 (d= - 0.618, 95% CI -0.73 to -0.09, p = 0.01) and inulin fibre (d=-1.012, 95% CI -0.71 to -0.20, p = 0.001). The synbiotic group showed broader and larger reductions, including IL-6 (d=-0.882,95% CI -1.36 to -0.17, p = 0.01), IFN-γ (d=-0.940, 95% CI -2.03 to -0.31, p = 0.009), SIRT2 (d=-1.505, 95% CI -1.30 to -0.51, p < 0.0001), 4EBP1 (d=-1.384, 95% CI -1.43 to -0.32, p = 0.0004), CCL23 (d=-1.356, 95% CI -1.40 to -0.48, p = 0.0002), and mucosal cytokines CCL25 (d=-1.137, 95% CI -0.90 to -0.23, p = 0.001) and CCL28 (d=-1.006, 95% CI -0.80 to -0.16, p = 0.003). Increases in serum butyrate correlated with reductions in IL-6 following the synbiotic intervention. CONCLUSIONS: All interventions reduced systemic inflammation, but the synbiotic produced broader and stronger effects, targeting proteins linked to immune and metabolic function. While gut microbiome profiling was not included in this study, it is planned in future work to clarify how synbiotics may influence host-microbiome interactions and inflammatory regulation. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov NCT06480812. Registered 28th June 2024 Retrospectively registered https//clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06480812.
Authors: Amrita Vijay, Liz Simpson, Melanie Tooley, Sarah Turley, Afroditi Kouraki, Anthony Kelly, Cristina Menni, Josh Armstrong, Shann Jones, Ana M Valdes
Language: English
Subfield: Nutrition and Dietetics
Field: Nursing
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,890
Awards: G1303340219, G1778131789, Identifying and targeting modifiable inflammatory factors underlying higher risk of frailty in individuals experiencing deprivation, G201486291, G2900784964, G2960067629, G3531710099, Molecular signatures of endocannabinoid induced pain relief in humans: lifestyle interventions, systemic and localised changes., G3759785120, G4237468453, G4339104721, TwinsUK (2019-2023) - An Epidemiological and Genomic Resource, G5954715233, G620726348, G6651307123, TwinsUK (2019-2023) - An Epidemiological and Genomic Resource, MICA: Ancestry and biological Informative Markers for stratification of HYpertension: The AIM HY study, G721613800, G7722851534, G7987313117, G8303031892
OpenAlex ID: W4415280149